Cybill Pace D.J. FaulkCody Shaffer

SCARLET LETTER

In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on two pieces, explain how their representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of each work as a whole.

QUESTION 3

A. Hester Prynne is accused as an adulterer and shunned by all the village while the man that participated, Dimmesdale, is not known for the sin, though he is having controversial feelings about his part and responsibility in the affair. Chillingsworth, Hester’s husband returns from a trip and ends up befriending Dimmesdale and realizes that Dimmesdale is Hester’s partner in adultery. Chillingsworth haunts Dimmesdale and, in the end, Dimmesdale dies, Hester leaves, and Chillingsworth regrets his actions in internally torturing Dimmesdale.

I. INTRODUCTION

B. In the novel Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the progression from childhood and adolescence is plagued by much terror and tribulation. There is negative development, though there are also many instances of positive attributes forming. Through these experiences, the characters were able to improve themselves.

THESIS

A. As the novel progressed, the characters began to grow and develop into people that were completely different from who they were in the beginning.

B. Rodger Chillingsworth is an example of this change of character because while he was away from Hester, he developed a darker side that allowed him to invade Dimmesdale’s mind and destroy him on the inside. It also changed Chillingsworth into someone that was completely different than who Hester married.

C. In the beginning, Pearl was an innocent child. As time progressed, she was forced to endure guilt and isolation from her mothers sin. This forced her to mature and realize her current situations.

D. Due to circumstances that the characters encountered, they were forced to adapt and change who they were, making them completely different people than who they were at the beginning of the book.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

A. The forest was a place that helped the characters change and allowed them to show who and what they truly wanted to be.

B. Hester and Dimmesdale were able to be together and show their affection while in the forest. This allowed their relationship to develop, strengthen, and plan for the future, showing a growth from who they were at the beginning of the book.

C. Pearl was also able to develop in the forest, though she was able to to learn who she was and who her father really was. She was also able to grow closer to Dimmesdale while they were in the forest together.

D. The Forest allowed relationships to develop and people to express their true feelings, which was a sign of the progression of adolescence and was a major part of the story.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

A. The “A” was a major catalyst for much of the developments that occurred throughout the book.

B. In the beginning of the book Hester viewed her sin in a very haughty and proud way. But after being shunned by the title of the A for a long period of time, the goodness in her was shown by her charity work. This caused the public to view her in a completely different way.

C. The A also forced Pearl to develop very quickly throughout the book. As she was isolated and shunned by the public, Pearl was forced to mature and couldn’t grow up like any other normal youth

By having the title of “Adulterer” part of the Prynne family, they were forced to mature from their adolescence at the beginning of the book into much different people.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

The topic of development out of adolescence is a very major part of the book, Scarlet Letter. The plot of the book is based off the developments of the characters over time whether it be from bad to good, proud to humble, or young to old. This topic also helps us understand that times of tribulation help us to develop and mature out of our state of adolescence. Without these trials in our lives, we would never learn and become the sophisticated people we are today.

CONCLUSION

THE END!!